Live NFL Draft updates: Las Vegas Raiders’ draft selections and UDFA free-agent tracker
The 2023 NFL Draft is finally here.
Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler will make 12 selections, including the tentative seventh overall pick.
And that first round pick went to defensive end Tyree Wilson of Texas Tech with the seventh overall pick of the draft.
“I’m excited to be able to join the team and learn from guys like (Chandler Jones) and Maxx (Crosby) to help me take my game to another level and help the team get to a Super Bowl.”
He is listed at 6-foot-6 and 271 pounds.
Wilson had seven sacks in 2021 and 2022.
His season was cut short in 2022 because of a right foot fracture in November.
The Raiders had to go defense with their first pick in the NFL draft because they have needs all over on that side of the ball, but the thought would be a defensive tackle (Jalen Carter) or a cornerback (Christian Gonzalez).
Neither happened and it was Wilson who will be paired up with Crosby and Jones.
Ziegler was thrilled to see Wilson available at the seventh spot.
“We’re excited that he was there,” he said. “Going into it, weren’t sure whether he was going to be there or not. We had our group of players that we liked in that area, but I think the magic number for us as we went in were how many quarterbacks were going to be taken and who that was going to push down the board. And so, very excited when we saw that he was still there and excited to have him.”
Follow along as The Bee tracks the Raiders’ picks from Thursday to Saturday.
2:55 p.m. Saturday: Raiders add another DT
Nesta Jade Silvera is the Raiders’ last pick of the draft with the 231st overall selection in the seventh round.
He is 6-2 and 304 pounds and played for Arizona State.
ESPN said “Silvera is a productive run defender who locates the ball and gets off blocks. He has the foot speed to redirect and finish when he gets into the backfield. His low center of gravity and initial quickness make it tough to get under him and move him off the ball. And Silvera flashes the ability to slip blocks and gets good push as a pass-rusher.”
1:47 p.m. Saturday: Raiders add a linebacker
Amari Burney of Florida was selected by the Raiders with the 203rd overall pick.
The pick came in Round 6.
Burney is 6-2 and 230 pounds.
ESPN listed good things about Burney saying he “runs well, takes sound angles, chases with good effort and wraps up. To be effective between the tackles, he has to win with instincts and quickness. He shows good range, reads the quarterback and flashes the ability to play the ball in underneath zone.”
12:14 p.m. Saturday: Raiders go with a safety
Safety Christopher Smith of Georgia is the Raiders’ choice in the fifth round (170th).
Las Vegas moved up in a trade with the New York Jets and gave up their 204th and 220th picks.
Smith had three interceptions and one sack last season for Georgia.
ESPN said “Smith has quick feet, plays with good balance and is faster than his 40-yard dash time (4.62) suggests — thanks to his outstanding instincts. He’s effective breaking on the ball in off-coverage over the slot and providing help over the top. He’s aggressive running the alley, but Smith is on the smaller side and is an inconsistent tackler. “
Quick analysis: Good choice by Ziegler to trade up to draft Smith, who has good qualities. He’ll help the Raiders.
10:45 a.m. Saturday: Raiders take a QB
Aidan O’Connell was selected by the Raiders with the last pick in Round 4 (135th overall).
He played at Purdue and is 6-3 and 213 pounds.
ESPN said “the first thing that jumps out on tape is how quickly O’Connell gets the ball out of his hands. He’s a fast processor who did not have good pass protection in college and knows he lacks the mobility to extend, so he has to make fast decisions and get the ball out extremely quickly. He’s accurate with good touch and timing when throwing to the short-to-intermediate levels of the field. O’Connell’s deep-ball accuracy is streaky.”
Quick analysis: The Raiders needed a quarterback and decided to move up in a trade with the New England Patriots to select O’Connell. Decent pick by the Raiders, who needed a QB behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer.
9:15 a.m. Saturday: First CB the Raiders draft
The Raiders traded up to select cornerback Jakorian Bennett of Maryland.
He is listed at 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds. Last season, Bennett tied for third in the Big Ten in pass break-ups (11) and tied for fifth in passes defensed (13).
ESPN said “Bennett is at his best in press-man, where he is becoming more adept at rerouting receivers at the line of scrimmage and shows excellent recovery speed when he gets out of phase. He has the leaping ability to come down with 50-50 balls and flashes good pop as a tackler, but his pursuit angles are inconsistent, and he’s not consistently aggressive in support.”
Quick analysis: Available was cornerback Kelee Ringo of Georgia, who was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles with the next pick, but instead it’s Bennett. Will it pan out for the Raiders and Bennett? Who knows? But Bennett has fast speed, running 4.30 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Ziegler must like him a lot to trade up and draft Bennett, who will bring help at the position.
8:05 p.m. Friday: WR taken by the Raiders
Wide receiver Tre Tucker is the Raiders’ choice with the 100th overall pick in the Round 3.
Tucker is listed at 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds. He had 672 receiving yards and three touchdowns for Cincinnati. He excelled in the kick return game for the Bearcats when he finished with 1,670 yards and two touchdowns.
Ziegler: “Tre has a lot of speed, so he has a lot of I’d say versatility offensively, just in terms of both as a receiver that can play the receiver position — there’s also because of his speed, a gadget element to him that he can be used in getting him the ball in space and things of that nature. We really studied him a lot and just as a receiver think he has the ability to win. And he’s a tough matchup because of his short-area quickness and just his straight-line speed. He had a lot of explosive plays.”
Quick analysis: Interesting pick by Ziegler in the third round when Tucker had a fifth-round grade, but his quickness will help with the passing game and the kick return.
6:35 p.m. Friday: Raiders building the trenches
The Raiders selected defensive tackle Byron Young of Alabama with the 70th overall pick in the third round.
He is 6-foot-3 and 294 pounds. He finished the 2022 season with the Crimson Tide with 48 tackles and four sacks.
Pro Football Focus listed Young with nine quarterback hits in 2022.
Ziegler: “Big, physical kid, long arms, he’s does a really nice job of being able to create leverage inside and control running lanes. A little bit early down pass rush too right now, I think he can develop more than that, but he has some first-step quickness and because of his length, it makes it hard for a lot of those guards to handle him inside. Saw him as a versatile guy on early downs right now that can play inside that can also move outside and play big end, has some pass rush ability.”
Quick analysis: The Raiders had a need at defensive tackle and do that with Young. Has good hands. He’ll help a lot for the Raiders. Decent pick.
4:30 p.m. Friday: Raiders select a tight end
The Raiders selected TE Michael Mayer with the 35th overall pick of the NFL Draft.
Las Vegas moved up to select Mayer after a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. The Raiders gave up their 38th and 141st picks to snag Mayer.
Las Vegas was in need of a tight end after the Raiders traded Darren Waller to the New York Giants.
Last season with Notre Dame, Mayer had 67 receptions for 809 yards and nine touchdowns. In three seasons with Notre Dame, he had 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Raiders already have tight ends Austin Hooper, O.J. Howard and Jesper Horsted on the roster.
Ziegler: “He’s a bigger guy, but he still has when you watch the tape, he has the ability to win in a short area, can win on third down, use his size down in the red zone. Obviously has some size to continue to develop as a run blocker. Really excited to be able to get a young tight end with his skill set where we got him. We felt like that was very good value.”
Quick analysis: This is a solid pick up for the Raiders because Mayer is a big target at 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds. He’s a physical player who can do it all. No wonder why Ziegler was quick to move up to draft Mayer.
Raiders’ selections
Round 1 (7): DE Tyree Wilson
Round 2 (35): TE Michael Mayer
Round 3 (70): DT Byron Young
Round 3 (100): WR Tre Tucker
Round 4 (104): CB Jakorian Bennett
Round 4 (135): QB Aidan O’Connell
Round 7 (231): DT Nesta Jade Silvera
Raiders’ UDFA free-agent tracker
Follow The Bee as we found out who the Raiders signed to an undrafted free-agent deal.
OT McClendon Curtis, Chattanooga
OT Dalton Wagner, Arkansas
DB Jaydon Grant, Oregon State
DE Brock Martin, Oklahoma State
LB Drake Thomas, N.C. State
DB Azizi Hearn, UCLA
DE George Tarlas, Boise State
DE Adam Plant, UNLV
DT James Gillespie, Louisiana Monroe
CB Jordan Perryman, Washington
TE John Samuel Shenker, Auburn
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published April 27, 2023 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Live NFL Draft updates: Las Vegas Raiders’ draft selections and UDFA free-agent tracker."
